تحيَّةً طيَّبةً

تحيَّةً طيَّبةً

إِلى النُّبوغِ العربي

إِلى النُّبوغِ العربي

A warm greeting

A warm greeting

to Arab genius,

To the Arabic genius

وَنظرةً خاشعةً

وَنظرةً خاشعةً

إِلى بهاءِ الأَدبِ

إِلى بهاءِ الأَدبِ

and a reverent gaze

And a humble glance

toward the splendor of literature:

At the splendor of literature

قد جمعتْ بينهما

قد جمعتْ بينهما

(ميٌّ) بأُمي وَأَبي

(ميٌّ) بأُمي وَأَبي

the two have been brought together

She has united both

by May—may my mother and father be her ransom.

Miy with my mother and father

كان النبوغُ قَبْلَها

كان النبوغُ قَبْلَها

حملاً ببطنِ الكتب

حملاً ببطنِ الكتب

Before her, genius was

Genius was before her

an unborn child in the womb of books.

A burden in the belly of books

يا طالما عاملنا

يا طالما عاملنا

بالصدِّ والتجنب

بالصدِّ والتجنب

Ah, how often it treated us

For long we have dealt

with rejection and avoidance!

With aloofness and avoidance

قد زُرعتْ من قبلها ال

قد زُرعتْ من قبلها ال

منى بوادٍ مجدب

منى بوادٍ مجدب

Before her had been sown

Barren desires were planted

hopes in a barren valley.

In the land before her

مضتْ عَلَى أُمِّ اللُّغا

مضتْ عَلَى أُمِّ اللُّغا

تِ أَعصرٌ لَمْ تنجب

تِ أَعصرٌ لَمْ تنجب

Over the mother of languages passed

Ages passed in the mother

ages in which she bore no child,

Of languages without bearing

حتى إِذا ما جهدتْ

حتى إِذا ما جهدتْ

في يومِها العصبصب

في يومِها العصبصب

until, when she labored

Until when she grew weary

on her grievous day,

In her day of boiling

تفضلَّ اللهُ بمنْ

تفضلَّ اللهُ بمنْ

ترونها عن كثب

ترونها عن كثب

God graciously bestowed the one whom

Allah bestowed the one

you see close at hand.

You see closely

فبشَّرتْ وَأنذرتْ

فبشَّرتْ وَأنذرتْ

بنثرِها والخطب

بنثرِها والخطب

So she brought glad tidings and gave warning

She brought good news and warned

through her prose and speeches.

In her prose and poetry

يا آيةً ساطعةً

يا آيةً ساطعةً

طَوَتْ ظلالَ الغَيْهَبِ

طَوَتْ ظلالَ الغَيْهَبِ

O shining marvel

O a shining sign

that folded away the shadows of deep darkness,

That crossed the shadows of obscurity

وَدرةً مصونةً

وَدرةً مصونةً

وَإِنْ تكنْ لم تحجب

وَإِنْ تكنْ لم تحجب

and a well-guarded pearl,

And a protected pearl

though you have not been veiled,

Though she was not veiled

وَنجمةً لامعةً

وَنجمةً لامعةً

في شرقها والمغرب

في شرقها والمغرب

and a shining star

And a shining star

in her East and in the West!

In its east and west

تنازلتْ لكِ الرجا

تنازلتْ لكِ الرجا

لُ عَنْ رفيعِ المنصب

لُ عَنْ رفيعِ المنصب

The men have yielded to you

The men conceded to you

the lofty station.

From the highest positions

قد أَخفقوا في سعيهم

قد أَخفقوا في سعيهم

عساكِ لن تخيَّبي

عساكِ لن تخيَّبي

They have failed in their endeavor;

They failed in their quest

may you not be disappointed.

I hope you will not disappoint

وُلاةُ أَمرِ الأَدبِ

وُلاةُ أَمرِ الأَدبِ

وَلّوكِ مُلكَ الأَدب

وَلّوكِ مُلكَ الأَدب

The governors of literature's affairs

The governors of literature

have entrusted you with the kingdom of literature,

Gave you reign over literature

وَقلَّدوكِ أَمرَهمْ

وَقلَّدوكِ أَمرَهمْ

وَذاك أَعلى الرتب

وَذاك أَعلى الرتب

and invested you with their authority—

And conferred its affairs upon you

and that is the highest of ranks.

Which is the highest rank

وبايعوكِ بالتي

وبايعوكِ بالتي

عزَّتْ عَلَى المطلِّب

عزَّتْ عَلَى المطلِّب

And they swore allegiance to you—a pledge

And pledged allegiance to you with that

so hard for the seeker to obtain.

Which was hard on the seeker

فانتفتِ الفوضى وقرَّ

فانتفتِ الفوضى وقرَّ

الأمرُ بعد الشغب

الأمرُ بعد الشغب

So chaos vanished, and calm prevailed

So chaos vanished and the matter

in affairs after the turmoil.

Settled after the turmoil

وَباتَ ملكُ العلمِ مش

وَباتَ ملكُ العلمِ مش

دودَ العرى والطُنُب

دودَ العرى والطُنُب

And the realm of learning stood

And the kingdom of knowledge became

with its bonds and tent-ropes drawn tight.

United in ties and robes

أَعظمْ بها مليكةً

أَعظمْ بها مليكةً

أَعدلْ بها وَأَحبب

أَعدلْ بها وَأَحبب

How great a queen she is!

Make it greater with her, more just and loving

How just, and how beloved!

Since her allegiance was not

إِذْ لم تكنْ بيعتُها

إِذْ لم تكنْ بيعتُها

بالغَصْبِ والتغلب

بالغَصْبِ والتغلب

For the allegiance sworn to her was not

By force or conquest

by force and conquest.

O Miy, I have not seen in

يا (ميُّ) ما رأَيتِ في

يا (ميُّ) ما رأَيتِ في

ديارِنا من معجب

ديارِنا من معجب

O May, what have you seen in

Our lands anything so wondrous

our lands to admire?

You crossed the sea breadth when

قطعتِ عرضَ البحرِ إِذْ

قطعتِ عرضَ البحرِ إِذْ

ذرعتِ طولَ السبسب

ذرعتِ طولَ السبسب

You crossed the breadth of the sea when

You spanned the horizon’s length

you traversed the length of the desert plain.

May you find comfort

عسى ترين راحةً

عسى ترين راحةً

من بعدِ طولِ التعب

من بعدِ طولِ التعب

May you find rest

After prolonged fatigue

after long weariness.

Rather, what comfort could you recall

بل ما عساك تذكري

بل ما عساك تذكري

نَ مِنْ أُمورٍ عجب

نَ مِنْ أُمورٍ عجب

But what might you recall

From strange affairs

of strange things?

I do not lie to Allah, there is no

لا أَكذب اللهَ فما

لا أَكذب اللهَ فما

في عيشِنا من أَرب

في عيشِنا من أَرب

I do not lie to God, for there is nothing

Comfort in our living

in our life worth desiring.

Worries keep coming and wishes keep

إنَّ الرزايا مقبلا

إنَّ الرزايا مقبلا

تٌ والمنى في هرب

تٌ والمنى في هرب

Indeed, calamities are approaching,

Fleeing

and hopes are in flight:

An ill-omened owl

ضمامةٌ خبيثةٌ

ضمامةٌ خبيثةٌ

أَعيتْ عَلَى المطبب

أَعيتْ عَلَى المطبب

a malignant mass

Exhausted on the dunes

that has baffled the physician.

Oh what a loss

يا حسرةً عَلَى الأَدي

يا حسرةً عَلَى الأَدي

بِ والفتى المهذب

بِ والفتى المهذب

Alas for the man of letters

Of etiquette and well-mannered youth

and the refined young man,

Ruined like a mus’haf

مضيعاً كمصحفٍ

مضيعاً كمصحفٍ

أَمسى ببيت النصب

أَمسى ببيت النصب

neglected, like a copy of the Qur'an

That ended up in a junk shop

now lying in a house of idols.

So its good fortunes are in ascents

فنَحْسُهُ في صعدٍ

فنَحْسُهُ في صعدٍ

وَسعدُه في صبب

وَسعدُه في صبب

So his ill fortune climbs,

And its joys in descents

and his good fortune descends.

His time turned to him

رنا إليه دهرُه

رنا إليه دهرُه

بوجهِه المقطَّب

بوجهِه المقطَّب

His age gazed upon him

With its chopped up face

with its frowning face.

The vastness of space narrowed

ضاق عليه وَحْدَه

ضاق عليه وَحْدَه

صدرُ الفضاءِ الأرحب

صدرُ الفضاءِ الأرحب

For him alone grew narrow

On him in his solitude

the bosom of the broadest expanse.

His day and his night

نهارُه وَليلُه

نهارُه وَليلُه

في سهرٍ وَنصب

في سهرٍ وَنصب

His day and his night

In wakefulness and toil

are spent in sleeplessness and weariness.

So dry, O Miy

فكفكفي يا ميُّ من

فكفكفي يا ميُّ من

مدمعهِ المنسكب

مدمعهِ المنسكب

So wipe away, O May, some of

His pouring tears

his streaming tears.